Agriculture

BRIEFCASE

November 11, 1993

A SHRINKING corn crop is expected to make waves in the economy, raising the costs of bringing meat, milk and eggs to consumers' tables. Corn's price zoomed higher Wednesday on grain markets following a government report Tuesday making a sharp downward revision of the 1993 corn harvest because of summer flooding. Consumers may not see higher prices at supermarket checkout lines or fewer choices in meat cases for up to a year, said Glenn Grimes, an economist at the University of Missouri. That's because so much beef, pork and poultry already is being fattened for market. However, farmers said the rising cost of feed will cut their profits and pressure them to raise prices.